Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Raw Materials: Prices

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the latest Consumer Price Index from the ONS which shows that there has been a rise in the cost of raw materials for UK manufacturers.

lord henley: Consumer Price Index is a measure of inflation experienced directly by consumers and so does not incorporate costs of raw materials for UK manufacturers.The rate of inflation for inputs into UK Manufacturing (materials and fuel), which can be quite volatile, declined in December and also November from its peak in October.

Company Accounts

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government what accounting framework is (1) applicable, and (2) suitable to deliver the requirements relating to (a) auditors, and (b) accounts set out in sections 92, 498(1) and (2),519,714(4), 836, and 837 of the Companies Act 2006.

lord henley: The Companies Act 2006 provides for two alternative accounting frameworks, “Companies Act accounts” where more detailed accounting rules are within the Act (supplemented by accounting standards) and “IAS accounts” where detailed rules are set out in the International Accounting Standards. The accounting frameworks as provided for in the Companies Act 2006 are applicable and suitable for the purposes of sections 92, 498(1) and (2), 519, 714(4), 836, and 837 of the Companies Act 2006.

Company Accounts

baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the requirements relating to (1) auditors, and (2) accounts set out in sections 92, 498(1) and (2),519,714(4), 836, and 837 of the Companies Act 2006 are intended (a) for the protection of creditors and shareholders, or (b) to be useful to users of accounts.

lord henley: These sections of the Companies Act 2006 cover a range of matters including auditor’s duties and capital maintenance. Taken together, they provide for the protection of shareholders and creditors of the company and the provision of information that is useful to users of the accounts who take an interest in the financial position of the company.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sudan: Politics and Government

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 15 January (HL Deb, cols 130–2), what assessment they have made of the international response to the call of the governments of the United States, Norway, Canada and the UK for Sudan to implement political reforms; and what plans they have, if any, to raise the current violence in Sudan at the UN Security Council.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The call of the Troika partners and Canada for Sudan to implement political reforms has received significant media attention in Sudan and the region, and the sentiment has been echoed by other international partners. We continue to monitor the situation closely and to consider all options, including in international fora, to support the democratic rights of the Sudanese people to peaceful protest and long term political and economic stability.

Department of Health and Social Care

Diabetes: Preventive Medicine

lord rennard: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are accessing diabetes prevention (1) methods and (2) programmes in each clinical commissioning group area in the most recent year for which data are available.

baroness manzoor: Healthier You: The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme started in 2016. The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme reports, as of November 2018, 312,002 at risk individuals have been referred into the service and 143,962 individuals have now had an initial assessment. These are cumulative data since the programme became operational.There are two key methods of referral into the NHS Healthier You Diabetes Prevention Service: via general practitioners (GPs) and through NHS Health Checks. Health Checks are often undertaken by GPs and data is not routinely collected on whether referral via a GP was made following a GP Health Check. Data is not routinely collected at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level as the contracts/geographies are different to CCG boundaries. However, data is available at contract level and is attached, due to the size of the data. Internal NHS England reports have been used to monitor performance of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.  The attached table is based on validated data up to and including November 2018. It provides the total number of referrals received and initial assessments completed at contract level. 



NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme data
(Word Document, 31.19 KB)

Dental Services: Children

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact NHS England's Starting Well schemehas had to date; and whether they have any plans to extend that scheme.

baroness manzoor: The ‘Starting Well’ programme, led by NHS England at the request of the Department, is designed to reach out to families with young children in 13 high need areas who are not currently under the care of a dentist. There are now over 300 practices participating in the scheme. The first schemes began in spring 2018. NHS England has commissioned an external evaluation of the scheme and its impact. NHS England advises the first information from this evaluation is expected to be made available later in spring 2019. NHS England has since developed a complementary scheme ‘Starting Well Core’ which allows areas not involved in the original scheme to commission and fund locally similar approaches based on their assessment of local needs.

Dental Services: Children

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional support they are providing to children in areas with the worst oral health outcomes.

baroness manzoor: The Government is committed to improving oral health and particularly of deprived children. This goal was set out in the 2017 manifesto and reflected in the recently published NHS Long Term Plan. Over 70 practices are currently trialling a new way of delivering primary care dentistry which focusses on prevention and helping patients to reduce their risk of future disease.Alongside this the ‘Starting Well’ programme, led by NHS England, is designed to reach out to young children in high need areas who are not currently under the care of a dentist. These areas were selected on their level of current oral health. There are now over 300 practices participating in the scheme which began in spring 2018. In addition to the original scheme covering 13 areas NHS England has developed a similar model any area can commission and fund depending on local need.Initiatives to improve children’s oral health are co-ordinated overall by Public Health England working through its Child Oral Health Improvement Programme Board. This brings together individual schemes along with wider work that influences oral health including the sugar levy as part of work to tackle obesity.

Dental Health: Children

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce rising rates of tooth decay among young children in the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the West Midlands.

baroness manzoor: The Government is committed to improving oral health, particularly of deprived children.NHS England (Yorkshire and the Humber) have finalised plans to improve access to National Health Service dental services across the region. Over £4 million is being invested in the areas with the greatest need to increase the number of available dental appointments.NHS England ‘Starting Well’ programme which will work in 13 high needs areas to reach children most at risk of tooth decay who are not currently under the routine care of a dentist. This includes the North West (Blackburn with Darwen; Blackpool; Bolton; Oldham; Rochdale and Salford).Nationally, NHS England has also developed a complementary Starting Well Core offer, a commissioning approach designed to facilitate increased access and early preventive care for young children, supported by the Chief Dental Officer, which commissioners can use and fund locally based on their own assessment of need. Starting Well Core is being implemented by NHS England West Midlands in a bid to increase dental access amongst young children across the region.Alongside local authorities’ duties to improve health, including oral health, Public Health England is leading a wide ranging multi agency programme focussing on improving children’s oral health. The Child Health Improvement Programme Board which supports evidenced based actions that will increase the use of fluoride (toothpaste, varnish, water fluoridation). This is in addition to the childhood obesity plan which sets out measures that will reduce the amount of sugar children consume.The Department and NHS England are continuing to test a new way of providing NHS dental services which aims to further improve oral health and increase access. Over 70 practices are currently trialling a new way of delivering primary care dentistry which focusses on prevention and helping patients to reduce their risk of future disease.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients the National Problem Gambling Clinic in London has capacity to treat in a year; how many patients are currently receiving treatment at that clinic; how many referrals that clinic has received in each of the last five years; and what was the cost to the NHS of running that clinic in each of those years.

baroness manzoor: Information on the capacity of the National Problem Gambling Clinic, the number of referrals received, the number of patients receiving treatment there or the clinic’s running costs is not held centrally. This clinic is wholly funded by GambleAware which is a charity and as such the Department does not hold this information.Information on the estimated capital costs, annual running costs or number of expected referrals to the NHS Northern Gambling Clinic in Leeds proposed by GambleAware is also not held centrally.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the planned NHS Northern Gambling Clinic in Leeds is expected to cost, broken down by (1) capital costs, and (2) annual running costs; and how many referrals they expect the clinic to receive each year.

baroness manzoor: Information on the capacity of the National Problem Gambling Clinic, the number of referrals received, the number of patients receiving treatment there or the clinic’s running costs is not held centrally. This clinic is wholly funded by GambleAware which is a charity and as such the Department does not hold this information.Information on the estimated capital costs, annual running costs or number of expected referrals to the NHS Northern Gambling Clinic in Leeds proposed by GambleAware is also not held centrally.

China: Genetic Engineering

baroness berridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the World Health Organisation about the ethical issues and potential long-term risks associated with gene-edited babies born in China.

baroness manzoor: There are conflicting media reports on claims of genetic modification in China. We will continue to monitor the situation. We have had no discussion with the Chinese Government or World Health Organization regarding the ethical issues and risks associated with the gene-edited babies born in China. The procedure alleged to have been carried out by Prof He Jiankui in China would be illegal in the United Kingdom. It would be an offence under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, punishable, on conviction, by a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine or both.

Gastrointestinal System: Diseases

baroness young of old scone: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many gastroenterology specialist nurses were employed by the NHS in each of the past five years.

baroness manzoor: The information is not held centrally.

Obesity

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to introduce targets for reducing obesity amongst adults.

baroness manzoor: There are no plans to introduce targets for reducing obesity amongst adults. Many of the measures in both chapters of the childhood obesity plan will have an impact on tackling obesity across all age groups. These include the soft drinks industry levy, sugar reduction and wider calorie reformulation programme, restricting promotions and calorie labelling in restaurants which will improve our eating habits and reduce the amount of sugar we consume.

Department for Education

Children in Care

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to reduce the number of children who are being (1) referred to, and (2) taken into, statutory care.

lord agnew of oulton: The government wants every child to be in a stable, loving home that is right for them.One of the key principles of the legislation that underpins the UK’s child protection system is that children are best looked after within their families.However, as a last resort, after other steps have failed, local authorities may apply to the independent courts for a decision about removing a child from his or her family where there are concerns that the child is at risk of significant harm.Where a child cannot live at home, we must make sure that they are safe and that they receive the highest quality care, which is why we are working hard to improve social care support for such children.We recently announced an additional £410 million for adult and children’s social care in 2019-20. We are also investing £84 million over the next 5 years through the Strengthening Families, Protecting Children programme to build on three of our most promising Innovation Programme projects, with the aim of improving social work practice to enable children to stay safely at home in stable family circumstances, where that is in their best interests.

Alternative Education

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many alternative education providers are registered in England; and how many (1) permanently excluded, and (2) other excluded pupils are in such provision.

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of unregistered alternative education providers in England.

lord agnew of oulton: A number of types of institution can be commissioned to provide Alternative Provision (AP), including independent schools and unregistered providers. The department does not hold data on all providers, and therefore does not hold the total number of such providers. In January 2018 there were 352 Pupil Referral Units, AP academies, and AP free schools in England. Further information on AP providers can be obtained from the department’s register of schools and colleges in England ‘Get information about schools’ which can be accessed using the online tool available here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. The department does not hold information on whether pupils were previously excluded before joining their current school or provider.

Ministry of Justice

Cycling: Road Traffic Offences

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cyclists have been prosecuted for (1) failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing, and (2) cycling on a pavementin each of the last three years.

lord keen of elie: The information relating to prosecutions for ‘cyclists failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing’ is covered by the offence ‘pedal cycle - neglect of traffic direction’. The number of defendants prosecuted for ‘pedal cycle - neglect of traffic directions’ offences (the broader offence which includes ‘failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing’) has fluctuated over the last three years; there were 201 prosecutions in 2015, 443 in 2016 and 313 in 2017.The number of cyclists prosecuted for cycling on a pavement in each of the last three years has been decreasing over the last three years; there were 290 prosecutions in 2015, 225 in 2016 and 200 in 2017.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Religious Hatred: Islam

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British MuslimsIslamophobia defined: the inquiry into a working definition of Islamophobia, published in November 2018; and what assessment they have made of whether the evidence that was used in that report was balanced and objective.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We are aware that some have suggested that establishing a definition of Islamophobia could strengthen efforts to confront bigotry and division. We are examining the options for an agreed definition of Islamophobia and intend to develop this through the Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group.

Housing Market

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of uncertainty caused by Brexit on the UK property market.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department is working across Whitehall to understand the implications of leaving the EU, including for delivering our housing objectives. The Department also regularly monitors the housing market to make sure we have the best information to help support a housing market that can deliver the homes this country needs. To that end, the Department remains focused on achieving our long-term objective to create, fund and drive a housing market which delivers 300,000 homes a year on average by the mid-2020s.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether farm support will continue in its current form until 2022.

lord gardiner of kimble: In September last year Defra published, alongside the Agriculture Bill, detail about, and a proposed timeline for, the move away from current Common Agricultural Policy schemes. Our farming reforms will be underpinned by the principle of public money for the provision of public goods. The Bill will provide the legal powers to move away smoothly from the CAP as well as assisting farmers in their central task of producing food for the nation.The government has pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this parliament, expected in 2022. This includes all funding provided for farm support under both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 of the current CAP. This commitment applies to the whole UK and provides more certainty than anywhere else in Europe.We will pay the current Direct Payments for the 2019 scheme year on the same basis as now. The EU rules for the Basic Payment Scheme, greening and young farmer payment will apply throughout the whole of 2019. We also plan to allocate the money paid in Direct Payments for 2020 in much the same way that we do now. We will, however, look to make simplifications to make it easier to apply for and administer Direct Payments to increase value for money.In 2021 we intend to start making reductions to Direct Payments, marking the beginning of the agricultural transition. This will be accompanied by pilots of our Environmental Land Management scheme and targeted investment in Research and Development and innovation. We aim to phase out Direct Payments completely by the end of the transition, with the last payments being made for the 2027 scheme year.

Home Office

Private Investigators: Regulation

lord garnier: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following their reportSecurity Industry Authority: triennial review 2016 to 2017,published on 7 June 2018, when they intend to introduce the regulation and licensing of private investigators.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to ensuring the integrity of the private security industry, including private investigators and is considering the Review and its recommendations carefully. The Government’s final response will be published in due course.

Counter-terrorism and Security Act 2015

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be an opportunity for post-legislative scrutiny of the effects of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

baroness williams of trafford: The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny in the usual way, and the Home Office will publish a memorandum to the Home Affairs Select Committee in 2020.

Counter-terrorism

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will establish an independent inquiry and review of the Prevent Scheme in relation to violent and non-violent extremism; and if so, when.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to improving the transparency of the Prevent programme which safeguards and supports vulnerable individuals to stop them becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.To this end, the Government has accepted Lords amendment 13 to the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Bill to establish an independent review “on the Government strategy for supporting people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism”. The amendment further requires the Secretary of State to publish the report and any recommendation of the review, together with the Government response, within 18 months of Royal Assent.

Visas

baroness manningham-buller: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 11 December 2018 (HL11859),whether they willpublish the number of visa refusals by nationality, rather than those at an aggregated level published in the quarterly immigration statistics; and why they donot publish this data currently.

baroness williams of trafford: Information on refusals by nationality identifying delegates wishing to enter the UK to attend international scientific conferences and their reasons for such refusals is not recorded on centrally collated statistical databases and would require examination of individual case files at disproportionate costThe information collected and published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics is kept under review, balancing user needs against burdens on suppliers, in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Deportation: India

lord green of deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the return of Indian nationals who are in the UK illegally; and how many Indian nationals were returned to their home country in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

baroness williams of trafford: There is no country specific policy or guidance, instead, the decision to re-turn or not is made very carefully on a case by case basis. First and fore-most, we encourage people with no right to be here to leave the country vol-untarily and offer help for them to do this. Where they fail to leave, the Home Office will take action to enforce their departure as a last resort.Figures detailing returns in relation to nationality can be found within the published immigration statistics data:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018/how-many-people-are-detained-or-returned

Cabinet Office

Community Relations

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish a single ministerial post for integrating communities and civil engagement; and if so, when.

lord young of cookham: The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government is responsible for communities and integration and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport and Civil Society is responsible for the Office for Civil Society.

Government Departments: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage departments, including the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development, to make freedom of religion or belief literacy training available for their staff; and whether they will produce strategies which show how they aim to promote freedom of religion or belief.

lord young of cookham: The Civil Service Diversity & Inclusion Strategy makes clear our commitment to addressing issues of faith and belief as part of our wider approach to inclusion. The strategy also makes clear our commitment to working with all government departments to achieve this goal.We have a Civil Service Faith and Belief Champion in place (Clare Moriarty, Permanent Secretary DEFRA), and Faith and Belief departmental Champions in 26 departments (across Whitehall and agencies - including the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development), tasked with promoting faith literacy and inclusion in their departments.The Champions and networks across Government have agreed a narrative that will underpin our work towards greater faith literacy.Faith and Belief training is currently being developed for use by line managers, Champions and networks to support more inclusive environments for faith and belief in the Civil Service.

Treasury

Business: Investment

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bateson 26 November 2018(HL11401), whether in the light of new ONS data showing three consecutive quarter-on-quarter falls in business investment for the first time since 2007–08 they still forecast a 8.8per cent rise in business investment between Q4 2016 and Q1 2021; and which sectors will account for this rise.

lord bates: HM Treasury does not publish official forecasts for the UK economy. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) generate a projection for the UK economy that incorporates the impact of any policy announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the annual Budget and Spring Statements. The most recent forecast was produced at Autumn Budget 2018 in October and the next will coincide with Spring Statement 2019.Until then, there are no further official forecasts. The OBR’s forecast does not include a detailed breakdown of specific sectors, only an aggregate level of business investment expectations. Therefore, it will not contain details regarding the contribution of specific sectors to future business investment.

Food: Import Duties

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the categories of food materials and products subject to import taxes or duties imposed by the EU.

lord bates: The EU Common External Tariff applies to all EU members.The Tariff is the name given to the combination of the nomenclature (or classification of goods) and the duty rates which apply to each category of goods. The duty rates differ from one kind of good to another depending on what they are and where they come from. The rates also depend on the economic sensitivity of the goods. The EU uses the World Customs Organisation’s Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) as the basis for the Tariff. The HS comprises approximately 5,300 article/product descriptions that appear as headings and subheadings, arranged in 99 chapters, grouped in 21 sections. The EU Tariff contains the goods classification table which covers all categories of goods and the conventional import duty rates. The table is voluminous. It lists around 9500 classification codes. Food materials and products are found in Chapters 1 to 24. The type of product, the ingredients list or materials used to make it, the recipe and even the production method can affect the classification of a good. The EU Tariff is available to view on the EU Europa website. To get the full picture, the EU’s tariff database (TARIC) is also available to view and contains all the tariff preference and trade measures. In the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal the UK Trade Tariff, detailing the goods classification codes and duty rates for UK imports will be available, as now, on GOV.UK. Importers of goods into the UK will no longer use EU Tariff information published by the EU.